Draft-gear.



H. C. PRIEBE. D B'AFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3 INS.

Batented Oct. 10,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

(0.4 Pun'ro-Ll 1140.. WASHING mu. 0. c.

' Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HERMAN C. PBIIEBE, 01 BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed November 3,1915. Serial No. 59,333.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMAN G. PRIEBE, citizen of the United States, residing at Blue Island, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Draft-Gears, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a draft gear of the kind which includes a coupler, inner and outer followers actuated thereby and movable each toward the other, spring means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other, and two rockers, one individual to each follower and movable thereby, for transferring motion from the fol: lowers to the aforesaid means. A gear of this character is set forth in my co-pending application Serial No. 28,660, filed May 17, 1915.

It is one of the objects of my invention to remove or decrease the spring pressure from the faces of the rockers that are'in contact when the followers are in their outermost positions.

It is another object of my invention to provide a construction wherebythe rockers will be maintained in place even though the followers become dislodged.

A third object of the invention is to provide such a formation of the mutually engaged faces of the rockers as to prevent the further upward turning movement of the rockers when either follower has approached a predetermined distance toward the other follower, many advantages resulting from this characteristic as will be readily under stood by those skilled in the art.

The invention has other characteristics and will be fully explained by reference to the preferred embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and in which drawingsa Figure 1 is a plan view of a structure of my invention, partially in section; Fig. 2 is a view in ver'tical elevation on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view on line 8 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the rockers unassembled; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the rockers assembled.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

The gear illustrated includes a coupler 1 having a shank 2 which is suitably connected with a yoke structure, the yoke structure illustrated including straps 3 through which openings 4: and 5 are provided for the reception of keys 6 and 7 each of which constitutes a form of follower, the

openings 4: permitting the outer follower to move inwardly with respect to the yoke when the coupler is subject to a suflicient pushing strain while the openings 5 permit the inner follower 7 to move outwardly when the coupler is subject to a sufficient pulling strain. The keys 6 and 7 also project through openings 8 and 9 in the cheek plates 10 and 11 which are secured to the center sills 12 and 13, the openings 9 registering with the openings 5 and corresponding openings in the center sills when the gear is not under stress, the openings 8 similarly registering with the openings 4: and similar openings in the center sills, the outer follower plate 6 receiving inward thrusts from the coupler shank while the inner follower plate 7 receives its outward pull from the coupler yoke 3, these characteristics being present in connection with the peculiar form of coupler shown in another co-pending application but to which form of coupler the present invention is not to be limited;

Where the followers are in the form of keys, as illustrated, these keys are desirably projected laterally beyond the vertical walls of the center sills, the cotter pins 14 maintaining these keys and the center sills in assembly. The opposed transverse edges of the followers 6 and 7 are preferably sem-icylindrical and are received within semicylindrical pockets 15, 16 that are formed in the stems of rockers 17 and 18. These rockers are shown as being interposed between the yoke sides 3 to prevent their displacement laterally of the gear while said rockers are also provided with outwardly diverging arms 19, 20, 21, 22, the outer follower 6 being disposed between the outer arms 19 and 20, while the inner follower 7 is disposed between the inner arms 21 and 22. The arms that belong to each rocker converge to have their opposed edges merge with their associate rocker pocket whereby these edges virtually constitute continuations of walls of such pocket and said arms constitute pocket extensions. By this construction the rockers and followers are readily assembled and maintained in assembly.

In the event of the breakage of a cotter pin 1 f that would be followed by the dislodgment of the key having it, I provide supplemental means for maintaining the rockers in place, this supplemental means residing in outsetting lugs 23 carried by the rockers upon their sides, these lugs entering the slots 4 and 5. By this arrangement the coupler yoke will perform the rocker sup porting function normally performed by the dislodged follower.

The rockers are shown as having direct engagement with each other and the opposed faces thereof are curved or cam-shaped so that each rocker will co-act with the other and serve as a resistance therefor to force the rockers to swing in a vertical plane upon coupler movement, though I do not wish to be limited to the direct engagement of the rockers for this purpose. The motion resisting mechanism which I preferably employ includes a spring structure 24 resting upon a seat 25. The spring mechanism illustrated happens to be disposed between the center sills but is not limited to this location and when it is thus disposed it has a rigid abutment plate 26 near the tops of the center sills against which abutment plate the springs operate to press the spring seat 25 upon the rockers. Each rocker has a nose 27 that is curved upon its top to have rolling engagement with the bottom face of the spring seat 25 and is curved on its bottom to have rocking engagement with the rocker that it engages. WVhen the gear is not under stress the nose upon each rocker serves to hold the other rocker in its lowermost position, the noses cooperating to relieve the abutting faces of the rockers, as far as possible, of pressure due to spring action. The noses are desirably provided with downwardly extending ends or hooks that are re ceived within correspondingl curved recesses in the rockers engaged t ereby, while the top edges of the arms 19 and 21 closely underlie the spring seat 25. By this en gagement the rockers are maintained in close assembly. The limit to which either rocker may be approached by the other is desirably not defined by any external cheek plates, stopping lugs, etc., but is rather controlled by the opposed faces of the rockers themselves. The lower and greater parts of the opposing faces of the rockers are desirably made straight as indicated at 28, Fig. 2, the straight parts of the opposing faces of the rockers being so inclined as to bring them in engagement when the desired limit of movement of either rocker toward the other has been reached, these flat faces preventing the rockers from rotating upwardly beyond the positions that the rockers have assumed when the straight portions of their engaging faces are in contact. When the rockers rock upwardly to their predetermined limit the plane of the followers intercepts the engaged flat faces of the rockers and is perpendicular thereto whereby the object sought is accomplished. The axis of movement of each rocker is co-incident with the axis of the curvature of the curved side of the follower engaging the rocker and the straight portion of the rocker face of such rocker progressively approaches such aXis as the bottom of the rocker is approached, or in other words, the face of each rocker has its distance from the axis of such rocker increased as the means for resisting the approach of the rockers (the spring mecha nism) is approached by such face, whereby the rockers are permitted their relative movement but are restricted from exceeding predetermined relative movements.

lVhile I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but- Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. A draft gear including a coupler; inner and outer followers actuated thereby and movable each toward the other; means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other; two rockers, one individual to each follower and movable thereby, for transferring motion from the fol lowers to the aforesaid means; and a coupler yoke, said rockers and coupler yoke having interengageable formations whereby the rockers may be supported in the event of dislodgment of the followers.

2. A draft gear including a coupler; inner and outer followers actuated thereby and movable each toward the other; means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other; and two rockers, one individual to each follower and movable thereby, for transferring motion from the followers to the aforesaid means, each rocker having a nose in rocking engagement with the other rocker and through which nose the means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other operates.

3. A draft gear including a coupler; inner and outer followers actuated thereby and movable each toward the other; means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other; and two rockers, one individual to each follower and movable thereby, for transferring motion from the followers to the aforesaid means, each rocker having a nose in rocking and hook engagement with the other rocker and through which nose the means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other operates.

4. A draft gear including a coupler, inner and outer followers actuated thereby and movable each toward the other; means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other; two rockers, one individual to each follower and movable thereby, for transferring motion from the followers to the aforesaid means; and a coupler yoke, said rockers and coupler yoke having interengageable formation whereby the rockers may be supported in the event of dislodginent of the followers, each rocker having a nose in rocking and hook engagement with the other rocker and through which nose the means for resisting the approach of either follower toward the other operates. 15

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this twenty-ninth day of October,

HERMAN C. PRIEBE. Witnesses:

ETTA L. WHITE, G. L. CRAGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five. cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

